Article ID: WMC00809 ISSN 2046-1690 A Review on Fast Dissolving Tablets Corresponding Author: Mrs. Rajeshree Panigrahi, Lecturer, Royal College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 760001 - India Submitting Author: Mrs. Rajeshree Panigrahi, Lecturer, Royal College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 760001 - India Article ID: WMC00809 Article Type: Review articles Submitted on:29-Sep-2010, 10:18:47 AM GMT Published on: 29-Sep-2010, 02:48:11 PM GMT Article URL: http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/809 Subject Categories:QUALITY AND PATIENT SAFETY Keywords:A drug which gives no tension of swallowing, Bad taste fit for all How to cite the article:Panigrahi R , Behera S . A Review on Fast Dissolving Tablets . WebmedCentral QUALITY AND PATIENT SAFETY 2010;1(9):WMC00809 WebmedCentral > Review articles Page 1 of 15 WMC00809 Downloaded from http://www.webmedcentral.com on 16-Feb-2012, 06:39:30 AM A Review on Fast Dissolving Tablets Author(s): Panigrahi R , Behera S Abstract patient compliance. Many patients have difficulty swallowing tablets and hard gelatin capsules and consequently do not take medications as prescribed. It is estimated that50% of the population is affected by Recently, fast-dissolving drug delivery systems have this problem, which results in a high incidence of started gaining popularity and acceptance as new drug noncompliance and ineffective therapy. The demand delivery systems, because they are easy to administer for solid dosage forms that can be dissolved and and lead to better patient compliance. Usually, elderly suspended in water, chewed, or rapidly dissolved in people experience difficulty in swallowing the the mouth is particularly strong in the pediatric and conventional dosage forms (tablets, capsules, geriatric markets, with further application to other solutions and suspensions) because of tremors of patients who prefer the convenience of a readily extremities and dysphasia. Fast-dissolving drug administered dosage form. Because of the increase in delivery systems may offer a solution for these the average human life span and the decline, with age, problems. in swallowing ability, oral tablet administration to Key Words: Fast Dissolving Tablet, drug delivery patients is a significant problem and has become the system object of public attention. The problem can be Introduction resolved by the creation of rapidly dispersing or dissolving oral forms, which do not require water to aid swallowing. The dosages forms are placed in the Drug delivery systems (DDS) are a strategic tool for mouth, allowed to disperse or dissolve in the saliva, expanding markets/indications, extending product life and then are swallowed in the normal way. Less cycles and generating opportunities. Oral frequently, they are designed to be absorbed through administration is the most popular route for systemic the buccal and esophageal mucosa as the saliva effects due to its ease of ingestion, pain, avoidance, passé into the stomach. In the latter case, the versatility and most importantly, patient compliance. bioavailability of a drug from fast dispersing Also solid oral delivery systems do not require sterile formulations may be even greater than that observed conditions and are therefore, less expensive to for standard dosage forms. manufacture. Patient compliance, high-precision The concept of Mouth Dissolving Drug Delivery dosing, and manufacturing efficiency make tablets the System emerged from the desire to provide patient solid dosage form of choice .Excipients and with more conventional means of taking their equipments choices will be significantly affected medication. It is difficult for many patients to swallow should solid dosage form technologies change in tablets and hard gelatin capsules. Hence they do not response to the unprecedented shifts in the drug comply with prescription, which results in high discovery such as genomics. Should next generation incidence of non-compliance and ineffective therapy. drugs are predominantly protein or peptide based, In some cases such as motion sickness, sudden tablets may no longer may be the dominant format episodes of allergic attacks or coughing and give the difficulty of dosing such moiety. Injections unavailability of water, swallowing conventional tablets generally are not favored for use by patients unless may be difficult. Particularly the difficulty is facilitated by sophisticated auto injectors. Inhalation is experienced by pediatric and geriatric patients. Such one good alternative system to deliver these drugs, problems can be resolved by means of Fast Dissolving but the increased research into biopharmaceuticals so Tablet. When put on tongue, this tablet disintegrates far has generate predominantly chemical entities with instantaneously, releasing the drug, which dissolves or low molecular weights. The development of enhanced disperses in the saliva. Some drugs are absorbed from oral protein delivery technology by Fast dissolving the mouth, pharynx and esophagus as the saliva Tablets which may release these drugs in the mouth passes down into the stomach. In such cases, are very promising for the delivery of high molecular bioavailability of drug is significantly greater than those weight protein and peptide. The oral route remains the observed from conventional tablet dosage form. perfect route for the administration of therapeutic FDDTs disintegrate and/or dissolve rapidly in the agents because the low cost of therapy, manufacturing saliva without the need for water. Some tablets are and ease of administration lead to high levels of designed to dissolve in saliva remarkably fast, within a WebmedCentral > Review articles Page 2 of 15 WMC00809 Downloaded from http://www.webmedcentral.com on 16-Feb-2012, 06:39:30 AM few seconds, and are true fast-dissolving tablets. granules which slowly dissolve in the mouth. The Others contain agents to enhance the rate of tablet disintegration time for fast dissolving tablet varies from disintegration in the oral cavity, and are more a few seconds to more than a minute depending on appropriately termed fast-disintegrating tablets, as the formulation and the size of the tablet. they may take up to a minute to completely A fast disintegrating or dissolving system or tablet can disintegrate. When put on tongue, this tablet be defined as a solid dosage form that can disintegrates instantaneously, releasing the drug, disintegrate or dissolve within 30 seconds, in the oral which dissolves or disperses in the saliva. Some drugs cavity resulting in a solution or suspension without are absorbed from the mouth, pharynx and esophagus administration of water. The fast disintegrating tablets as the saliva passes down into the stomach. In such are synonymous with fast dissolving tablets; melt in cases, bioavailability of drug is significantly greater mouth tablets, rapimelts, Porous tablets, than those observed from conventional tablet dosage Orodispersible, quick dissolving or rapidly form.FDDTs, as a novel dosage form, have several disintegrating tablets. Their growing importance was characteristics to distinguish them from the more underlined recently when European pharmacopoeia traditional dosage forms. Taste-masking is of critical adopted the term “Orodispersible tablet” as a tablet importance in the formulation of an acceptable FDDT. that to be placed in the mouth where it disperses Traditional tablet formulations generally do not rapidly, before swallowing significance of this drug address the issue of taste masking, because it is delivery system includes administration without water, assumed that the dosage form will not dissolve until accuracy dosage, easy portability, alternative to liquid passing the oral cavity. Many oral suspensions, syrups, dosage forms ideal for pediatrics’ & geriatric patients and chewable tablets simply contain flavors, sugars and rapid onset of action. and other sweeteners to overwhelm or complement the bitter taste of the drug. Current methods of taste Biopharmaceutic masking in fast dissolving/ drug particles.FDTs are the Consideration disintegrating tablets include sweeteners and flavors; however, these are not a sufficient means for taste-masking many bitter drugs. Most of the FDDT When new drug delivery system put on, it is must that technologies incorporate unique forms of taste to consider Biopharmaceutical factor like metabolism masking as well. The primary methods of and excretion. taste-masking include adsorption onto or complexation Pharmacokinetics: with carriers and spray coating of solid dosage forms, In this consideration, study has done on absorption, which increase consumer choice, for the reason of distribution, metabolism and excretion. rapid disintegrate/dissolve in oral cavity within seconds After absorption, drug attains therapeutic level and and swallowed without the need of water or chewing. therefore elicits pharmacological effect, so both rate As tablet disintegrates in mouth this could enhance the and extend of absorption is important. In conventional clinical effect of the drug through pre-gastric dosage form there is delay in disintegration and absorption from the mouth, pharynx and esophagus. therefore dissolution while FDT is rapidly disintegrates This leads to an increase in bioavailability by avoiding in oral cavity and dissolution is fast. Due to first pass metabolism. disintegration of FDT in mouth absorption in started Fast dissolving drug delivery can be achieved various from mouth, pharynx and esophagus. Some factors techniques like direct compression, wet granulation,